What do our volunteers in Peru say about their experience?
What do our volunteers in Peru say about their experience?
“Volunteering in Peru and learning Spanish at AMAUTA in Cusco was a great experience. There are lots of Spanish schools here in Cusco, that’s true. But no Spanish school in Cusco is like AMAUTA!
The whole AMAUTA Team, including the teachers, the administrative staff, and the housekeeping, are extremely nice and help you with anything! After six weeks of living with a host family, I moved to the apartments of the school. The rooms in the student residence are very nice and clean. I felt safe and at home. The volunteering was amazing. I felt welcome, and that I could truly do something for the kids. It was very nice.“
This is what Hendrik Schmid from Germany says about this experience learning Spanish in Peru and volunteering in Cusco. Hendrik worked at an after-school program on the outskirts of Cusco. We caught up with him to ask about his experience volunteering here with the kids in a poorer district of Cusco.
Peruvian Kids
“What I enjoyed most of my volunteer work in Peru, was the contact with the kids. It was great, especially because the kids are so different than Germany. I was so disappointed when I was sick for two weeks of my time here because I missed getting to spend time with the kids.
The Peruvian culture is very different, and these kids are raised differently. They are not as disciplined for example because their parents do not take care of them in the same way most parents do in Germany.
What is something that struck you about your time volunteering with kids in Peru?
Something that was very crazy for me was that I saw that so many kids wore the same clothes every day because they didn´t have any others. That really impressed me. I had never seen from so close, what “not having money to buy something’ actually means and what the impact is on daily life.
What was your favorite activity you did with the kids?
The activity I enjoyed the most was playing outside with the kids because it was a great way for them to be active and burn some energy! I played football many times with the older ones, and on the playground with the younger kids. It was really fun playing with them and seeing how happy they were to be playing with us. But I also enjoyed the English classes and the science experiments we used to do.
Would you recommend volunteering in Cusco with AMAUTA to others?
Oh yes, I will recommend it. I learned a lot of Spanish during the first weeks of my stay there in Peru. I participated in the Spanish Group classes in Cusco, with maximum six students per group.
Everything was organized very well; there was a lot of support from the AMAUTA Team. When I first arrived here, I was welcomed by the volunteer coordinator with a short introduction about how things work here at the school and in Cusco in general. We instantly knew where to go for our first lessons of Spanish and, just to mention something, where to find spoons for the obligatory coca-tea 😉 And also when I fell ill, I was taken care of very well.
The best thing about this school is that you immediately meet so many new people. And most of them will become good friends! I was given the opportunity to made friends from the Netherlands, the USA, Germany, Swiss, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, France…etc. And from Peru, of course!
So all in all, I really can recommend this Spanish school in Cusco. I enjoyed being part of the AMAUTA “family”. And if you need any support, know you will get it.
If you are interested in Learning Spanish or doing volunteer work in Peru, contact us.